Chevening Scholarships

What the scholarship covers

• Full tuition fees
• Monthly living stipend
• Return economy airfare
• Arrival and departure allowance
• Visa application fee covered

Eligibility requirements

• Citizen of a Chevening-eligible country
• An undergraduate degree that qualifies for a UK master's
• At least 2,800 hours (about two years) of work experience
• Apply to three eligible UK master's courses
• Return to your home country for two years after the award

Documents you will need

• Passport or national ID
• Two references (requested after shortlisting)
• University transcripts and degree certificates
• Unconditional UK university offer (by the July deadline)
• Four essays: leadership, networking, study plan, career plan

How to apply, step by step

1. 1

   Check you meet every criterion

   Confirm your country is eligible and that you have the required work experience hours. Applications missing either are rejected before they are read.

2. 2

   Choose three eligible master's courses

   All three must be one-year taught master's programmes at UK universities and must appear on the Chevening eligible course list.

3. 3

   Create an account on the Chevening portal

   Register early. The portal saves drafts, so you can return to the essays over several weeks.

4. 4

   Write the four essays

   Leadership, networking, study plan, and career plan, around 500 words each. These carry most of the weight in the decision.

5. 5

   Submit before the deadline

   The portal closes at midday GMT on the deadline date. Late submissions are not accepted for any reason.

6. 6

   If shortlisted: references and interview

   Two references are requested only after shortlisting, followed by an interview at your local British embassy or high commission.

7. 7

   Secure an unconditional offer

   You must hold an unconditional offer from one of your three courses by the July deadline, or the award is withdrawn.

When to do what

Counting backwards from the deadline. Applications rushed in the final fortnight are the ones that fail.

1. 16 weeks before

   Shortlist UK courses and confirm eligibility.

2. 12 weeks before

   Register on the portal and start the leadership essay.

3. 10 weeks before

   Draft all four essays; expect the first pass to be weak.

4. 8 weeks before

   Request transcripts, universities are slow in summer.

5. 6 weeks before

   Get essays read by someone who will be blunt with you.

6. 4 weeks before

   Approach potential referees so they are not surprised later.

7. 2 weeks before

   Final edit and submit. Do not wait for the last day.

What the panel is actually looking for

• Demonstrated leadership, influence and results, not job titles
• A networking record that shows you build relationships deliberately
• A study plan that logically connects the chosen courses to your goals
• A specific, credible career plan for after you return home

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing the same essay for all four questions with the wording changed.
• Claiming leadership without a concrete example of what changed because of you.
• Choosing three courses with no coherent link to the stated career plan.
• Underestimating the work-experience hours requirement and being filtered out automatically.
• Leaving the unconditional offer until July and losing the award over admissions delays.

Fields of study